Kite



Oct. i25, 1938.l Rf P. HOLLAND, JR 2,134,403

KITE

Filed 061;. 4, 1937 2 'Sheets-Sheet 1 Oct- 25 1938. R. P. HOLLAND, JR 2,134,403

KITE

Filed oct. 4, 19.37 2 sheets-sheet 2 lNVENTOR CSO Patented Oct. 25, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT QlfplCE-A.

- 2,134,403 a. f a Jv` l s KITE Iaaymcnd'l". Holland, .rg'lenmgm X *Y s Application October-'4, 1937,'jseria1 No'. 167,121.V ;Y

` zolaim's. 4011249155* t While this invention has been developed` in connection with the production of a kite, asthat word is used in a somewhat restricted sense, as applicable to aerial structures which, eitherfor purposes of recreation or for scientic purposes, are own with an attached string or cord which leads to a fixed point or to then hands of .an

operator on the surface of the earth, it will beV obvious as this description proceeds that Vthe invention or some of the features of the invention are applicable also to free gliders which have no guiding string or even to self-propelled aeroplanes. The term kite is not to be Ytaken in its usual restrictive sense, but ina broader sense which includes also gliders and aeroplanes. The general purpose of the invention vis to produce a kite which will be more satisfactory in operation under varying conditions `and requirements than has been produced hitherto. lIn accordance with the inventionthere is provided a preferably vtriangular member, ,with its sides converging toward the front which mayv be termed the body, lateral wings, preferablyalso triangular, which are hingedly connected to `the body, are tilted with respect, to; the plane of the body, and are so connected, as 'b'yal strut, thatA as one wing tilts more or less from the plane of the body, the other wing will'tilt correspondingly but in the opposite direction. To the underside of the body at its rearward and wider end are secured other members, preferably also triangular, which are united at their lower apices below the plane of the body, to form what may be called a keel. A bridle is connected at `one end to the forward end of the body axis, Where the leading edges of the wings meet, and at its other end to the apex or bottom of the keel. The leading string or cord is connected to the bridle at an intermediate point and leads thence to a xed point or the hand of the operatorat the surface of the ground or elsewhere.

The invention will be more fully explained hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which is illustrated in a convenient and practical form a suitable embodiment of the invention.

In the drawings- Figure 1 is a top plan View of the improved kite.

Figure 2 is a side View of the same.

Figures 3 and 4 are, respectively, a front end view and a rear end view of the same.

Figures 5, 6, 7 and 8 are views in outline, representing the positions and functioning of the wings under different conditions.

' Figures v9-1larey detail views of various details of constructionto be referred to. s Y

The body a Vof the kite is a plane, preferably triangular, with its apex forward, formed ofy two rigidy side members a1, 112,' which converge forwardly and may be of wood or other suitable material, assare all of the'frame members, andr a member a3 'at' its 'rear or following end. @The frame of this body hasapplied to it and secured in any suitable manner tOfQrmja planeya sheet a4 of paper orother suitable fabric. Y

Tojeach side frame member @121, a2 of thebody aL, VV

at its forwarder leading portion, one at each s ide, are hingedly connected,` so that they" may swing .up or down-with respectto 'thbody wings b;

preferably triangularjmeach of whichmay' consist ofdframe members 'b l, b2,'-`an'ld"inv some cases a member b3, withfa'covering b4 of suitable material.' The two ,wingsY l?,b, are* tilted upward slightly with reference` to the plane of thebody a and are connected, vthe one tofl the "other, lby means such that as one' wing isftilted-'upward with respectV to the plane fofthebody a the other wing is tiltedydownward inf corresponding* degree. Ink Figtufesf'h` 3*,4'a'nd` 5-8 `such means is shown Vas L-afs'trut c which is pivotally connected 'ati-each end tov the'wcorrespo'nding "'wing.A In Figure '113 such'means is `,s'hgljwn as a 'strip vr01,' of sheet metal, bentat'the'fgprope'r angle' to conform to the dihedral angle of the wings and secured to the frame members b1 as by winding with tape c2. To the underside of the body a, at its rear portion, are connected, hingedly or otherwise, one at each side, two keel members d, d, preferably triangular in shape, each being formed of frame members d1, d2 and d3 and a cover d4 of suitable material. The two keel members arel 1 brought together at their lower apices, as at e, materially below the plane of the body a and are secured together by any suitable means. These members d, d, form a keel for the kite which is unchanged in position with respect to the body a, and at their apices provide for the attachment of the bridle f at a point whichis materially below the plane of the body so that there is afforded a leverage throughwhich, by a pull on the flying string to one side or the other, when the kite is in iiight, the body of the kite may be rocked in space to one side or the other.

A string or cord bridle f is connected at one end to the apices of the keel members, as at 61, and at its other end is connected to the joint 7 where the forward inner apices of the wings b, h, andthe forward apex of the body a meet, and the flying string h is connected to the bridle at a fixed point, as at .1'.

Referring now to the functioning ofthe wings in flying, as illustrated diagrammatically in Figures 5, 6, 'I and 8, it will be seen that when the pull of the ying string is directly downward, as represented in Figure 5, the two wings are symmetrically disposed with respect to the body; that when the iiying string leads more and more to one side, as represented in Figures 6, 7 and 8, the body is rocked in space to one side or the other and the Wings are tilted more and more with respect to the body of the kite', the wing opposite the direction in which the flying string leads being tilted more and more with respect to the body a toward a relatively horizontal position'in which that wing has more uplift, while the other wing is tilted more and more in the opposite direction and has less uplift. The effect of such tilting of the wings under the inuence of the pull of the flying string in maneuvering` the kite will be readily apparent. e

The formation of the several joints and connections may obviously be varied to suit convenience in construction and assemblage of the several main parts of the kite. Suitable details are shown in Figures 9-14. Y

The wings may be connected `to the body of the kite, as at joint g, by rings or cords g1 passed through transverse holes in the ends of the mem bers, as shown in Figure 9. 'I'he attachment of the bridle f, as shown in Figure 9, is accomplished by a loop f1 or cord around the joint- The pivotal connection of the strut c at each end to the corresponding wing may be accomplished by a cord passed through an eye in the corresponding end of the strut and lapped around the corre-r spondingwing frame member b1. The joint at the outer ends of membersblv and b2 may be formed, as shown at b5 in Figure 10, as by taping the members together, with the end of member b2 placed above the end of member b1. The hinged joint at the rear of each wing b to the body member a2 may be formed, as shown in Figure 11, by a ring or cord b6 passed through a hole in the end of member bz'and loosely around member a2. The connection of the keel member d2 to member a2 at this point may be effected by winding with soft wire, as shown in Figure 11.

Figure 12 shows the joint at e, where the keel members reach a common point, as formed by binding the members together by strips e2 of gummed tape.

Figure 13 shows an alternative form of joint at y. The ends of members a1, a2, b1, b2, are each Wound with a short piece of soft wire, the free ends of which are twisted together. This creates a common point to which each of the four members is flexibly connected, the proper angle of tilt of members b1 to each other being assured by the bent metal strip c1, as above described.

In Figure 14 the wing member b2 is shown as Ilexibly connected directly to the main frame member a2 by a soft wire a4, as in the construction shown in Figure 13,A the keel member d2 being connected to the frame member a2 by tape, as at d5.

The rear end of the bridle may be looped, as at e1 in Figure 12, around the joint which connects lthe apices of the keel members d, and the connection of the forward end of the bridle to the joint at g may be effected by a loop, as described above andas shown in Figure 9. The flying string h, may be secured to the bridle by a connecter i, as shown in Figure 2.

It will be understood that various changes in details of construction may be made to suit different conditions of use and that, except as pointed out in the accompanying claims the invention is not restricted to the construction or any of the constructions hereinbefore described.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a kite, the combination of a body member, wings hingedly connected to the body member, means connected to the wings to maintain the wings in relatively tilted position, a keel extended downward from the body member, a bridle secured at one end to the forward end of the body member and at its other end to the bottom of the keel, and a flying string connected to the bridle.

2. In a kite,;the combination of a body member, wings hingedly connected to the body member, and an angularly bent member having its parts secured respectively to the wings to maintain the Wingsin relatively tilted position.

RAYMOND P. HOLLAND, JR.` 

